"Another Sad Love Song" is a song by American singer-songwriterToni Braxton. Written and produced byDaryl Simmons andBabyface, featuring additional production fromL.A. Reid, it was released as the lead single and its opening track from Braxton'sself-titled debut album (1993) on June 11, 1993, byLaFace Records andArista Records. Lyrically, it talks about Braxton complaining that every song played on the radio is a reminder of her ex-boyfriend.
"Another Sad Love Song" received widespread acclaim from music critics and earned Braxton her first-everGrammy Award forBest Female R&B Vocal Performance at the36th Annual Grammy Awards. It proved to be a success, giving Braxton her first top ten hit on the USBillboard Hot 100 andCash Box Top 100, as well as theBillboardAdult Contemporary chart, while narrowly missing the top position ofBillboard'sHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart by peaking at number two. Internationally, the song reached the top twenty in Canada and the United Kingdom, the top thirty in Iceland and the Netherlands, and the top forty in Scotland and on a compositeEurochart Hot 100.
Three different music videos for the song were produced. The first version was filmed in 1992 inblack-and-white and featured the original music. The second version was filmed in May 1993 and was shown in color with exterior scenes from the first version. The third version wasremixed to appeal to a wider audiences and was primarily shown in Europe. "Another Sad Love Song" has been performed at most of Braxton's concerts, and is featured on many of hergreatest hits collections, includingUltimate Toni Braxton (2003),Platinum & Gold Collection (2004),The Essential Toni Braxton (2007) andBreathe Again: The Best of Toni Braxton (2009).[1]
After Braxton released her first solo single, "Love Shoulda Brought You Home", in 1992, as the soundtrack of the filmBoomerang, which became her first top-40 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart, she released "Another Sad Love Song" as the lead single from her self-titled debut album,Toni Braxton, on June 11, 1993.[2]
"Another Sad Love Song" was written and produced byBabyface andDaryl Simmons, withL.A. Reid also producing it.[1] Lyrically, "Another Sad Love Song" talks about Braxton complaining that every song played on the radio is a reminder of her ex-boyfriend. In the chorus, she sings, "It’s just another sad love song/Rackin’ my brain like crazy/Guess I’m all torn up/Be it fast or slow/It doesn’t let go/Or shake me/And it’s all because of you."[3]
The song received positive reviews from the majority of themusic critics. Ron Wynn ofAllMusic named it a highlight from the album, writing that "Braxton's husky, enticing voice sounds hypnotic on the dismayed track."[4] Daryl Easlea ofBBC Music praised that it "showed how well an accomplished production team could perform when married with a superior vocalist."[5]Larry Flick fromBillboard magazine said, "Braxton cleanly proves herself as a future diva on this slow and rhythmic urbanballad". He added, "The cool thing about Toni is that she's clearly not afraid to get vocally raw and raspy, even when the instrumentation is as smooth as it is here. That kind of edge places this already delicious jam head-and-shoulders above the ever-crowded competitive ranks."[6] Mitchell May ofChicago Tribune was very positive, writing that on the track, "the ache in her voice is all too real."[7] Dave Sholin from theGavin Report described it as "another L.A., Babyface and Daryl Simmons masterpiece by an artist with a great future".[8] Connie Johnson ofLos Angeles Times praised Braxton for "going to town on thesoul-infused track."[9]
Pan-European magazineMusic & Media named it "without doubt one of the best soul ballads of 1993".[10] Ralph Tee fromMusic Week'sRM Dance Update remarked that she "steps out with a vocalWhitney would be proud of on a stylish, medium-paced two stepper that grows on you."[11] AnotherRM editor,James Hamilton, named it a "superb sultry slinky jogger" in his weekly dance column.[12] A reviewer fromPeople Magazine called its intro "coiling, almost eerie", "bolstered by her full-throated alto."[13] John McAlley ofRolling Stone was extremely positive, writing that, "Another Sad Love Song – with its dynamic vocal, gargantuan hook and clever song-with-in-a-song lyric – surely ranks with 'End of the Road', 'I'm Your Baby Tonight' and 'Every Little Step' as one ofLaFace's greatest triumphs." McAlley also wrote the song "reinforces Braxton's lovelorn persona, as do several other midtempo ballads that L.A., Babyface and Daryl Simmons have front-loaded into Toni Braxton."[14]
Braxton in the remix video, singing the song, while rain is falling down her window.
The accompanying music video for "Another Sad Love Song" was released in three different versions. The first version was directed byAntoine Fuqua and filmed in 1992 inblack-and-white and featured the original music.[22] The second version was directed by Fuqua and Ralph Ziman and filmed in May 1993 and was shown in color with exterior scenes from the first version.[23] The third version wasremixed to appeal to a wider audiences and was primarily shown in Europe.[24]
On her DVD, "From Toni with Love... The Video Collection", two versions of the video are also featured: the "black and white" and the "colorful version".[25] Braxton commented that she "was really feeling the song, because I was ending a relationship," she said.[25]
